When is ‘Good Enough’ Good Enough?, by Survivormann99

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In the various areas of human endeavor one often runs across an individual who only wants “the best” in the pursuit of his or her chosen activity. Deciding what is the best involves choices about such things as golf clubs, running shoes, automobiles, firearms, wristwatches, and small kitchen appliances, to name only a few.

Some individuals’ opinions about what is the best can be absurdly wrong, but it’s their choice to make–and to live with. They revel in the fact that others–even if they are complete strangers–see them driving a certain SUV model, carrying a certain designer handbag, or pedaling the most expensive mountain bike on the trail.

I’m reminded of a situation in my deer hunting days. There would occasionally be a hunter who showed up with an unusual caliber rifle for the area in which we hunted, such as a 7 mm Remington Magnum or the like. Those who carried “humdrum” 30-06, .308, .270, and .30-30 rifles would gather around him and inspect his new toy, while engaging in the almost obligatory “oohing” and “ahhing” that stroked the owner’s ego. Yet, given the fact that even a 250 yard shot in the terrain around the area was a rarity, the choice of the 7 mm Rem. Mag. was grossly excessive in contributing to a successful hunt.

On the flip side, we’ve probably all seen individuals get involved in an activity or hobby, only to decide that they must have everything that is used in the hobby as soon as possible. The way that many of them do this is to buy the less expensive offerings, the very things whose quality can vary widely, but which they hope/expect to work well enough, if not with perfection.

Some people call those who are preparing for “spicy” times survivalists, and some call them preppers. A disagreement often follows as to what each term means and as to where particular individuals fall in these categories. While the authors of various articles on the subject offer their opinions, there is no general consensus about the matter, and there is no central authority that is capable of issuing an opinion or a “ruling.” As for me, I will just call all of these people (and myself) “preparedness types.”

Continue reading“When is ‘Good Enough’ Good Enough?, by Survivormann99”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on a few bear stories, including a bear attack. (See the Idaho and Montana sections.)

Idaho

Bear attack survivor shares his story as a warning to other hunters

o o o

The new kid on the block in the Cerakote world is PraetorianArmory.com. They’re in Coeur d’Alene.

o o o

City of Boise readies $300,000 to argue camping ban before U.S. Supreme Court

o o o

Former Idaho governor candidate investigated in 1984 killing

o o o

Tyler Rambo, accused 4th of July shooter, has bond set at $1 million

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at Wal-Mart’s New Ammo Policy.

Gun Owners Question Wal-Mart’s New Ammo Policy

Even a liberal CBS affiliate couldn’t avoid covering this obvious news: Gun Owners Question Walmart’s Decision To Take Handgun AmmHighlightedunition Off Shelves

Interviewing a 2-Year-Old for Pre-School Admission?

Our Editor-At-Large Mike Williamson sent this piece on the insane competitiveness of the privileged class:
When the Culture War Comes for the Kids.

Canadian Preppers Highlighted by CBC

“It’s not a bad idea to have a safety net.” Canadian prepper shows others how to ready for disaster. Here is a quote:

“Nate is a prominent voice in the Canadian prepping movement, wherein individuals ready themselves for periods when the necessities of modern life — including electricity, technological communication and fresh food — are unavailable. For Nate, becoming a prepper was a response to individuals’ growing dependency on societal structures.

“I just realized that the more technologically advanced society becomes, the more people are removed from where their food and water comes from,” he says. “This is only going to continue as we become more urbanized. For me, [starting to prep] was an insurance policy. A lot of people don’t realize how dependent they are on the critical infrastructure for meeting their basic everyday needs.

“Where I live, if there was ever a prolonged power outage in the wintertime, it would be a catastrophic situation,” he continues. “I’m not a Luddite or technologically opposed, but it’s not a bad idea to have a safety net.”

Nate’s goal for the Canadian Prepper YouTube channel is not only to showcase survival techniques but to look at the psychological ideas behind prepping and advise those interested in the movement on how to get started. He also started the channel to meet like-minded people and discuss his passion for preparedness.”

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Trump makes worse an already problematic situation with pensions. So whimsical. POTUS makes an historic monetary policy decision by endorsing negative interest rates, probably unaware of the epic controversy that he opened by doing so. Savers and pensioners thrown under the bus!

This is why I think a comprehensive and in a sense ‘final’ global financial crisis is so likely. It will provide the cover for massive debt write-offs, but also painful and scary policy innovations (going cashless, positive money, digital moneys, global monetary reset etc).

Bernanke was not a hero, but rather an historic villain, pitting bankers against the people in that centuries long struggle. True, the Federal Reserve as a whole failed society, with NY Fed leading the effort to preserve and revitalize its own major members. Yes one should not blame Bernanke alone. The entire Fed was at fault. Then in the wake, the Fed bailed out the banks. He had huge regulatory powers that could have been applied to cleanse banking system and impose transparency but he declined that opportunity in favor of propping up the same system that brought us the Great Financial Crash.” – Dr. Harald Malmgren

Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 16, 2019

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September 16th is the birthday of “Mad Jack” Churchill (1906-1996), who was a true eccentric. He went to war in WWII armed with a broadsword and a longbow. (The latter was successfully used to dispatch several German soldiers.) He later became a devoted surfer.

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Today, our Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio has another review. This one is on a classic S&W autopistol, the Model 6906.

S&W Model 6906, by Pat Cascio

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Many readers probably aren’t aware that, the US Navy SEALs packed the Smith & Wesson Model 59 in Vietnam back in the 1960s. This wasn’t the only handgun they used, but it was their preferred handgun to use a suppressor on.  And it held 15+1 rounds of 9mm ammo.

The S&W Model 39 came along long before the Model 59. However, the Model 39 only held 8+1 rounds of ammo — still, it was a great handgun, I carried one for several years doing PI work. It was fairly “compact” all things considered, and it was light-weight, due to the aluminum frame. While serving as the assistant security manager, of a large department store back in the Chicago, Illinois area, one of our off-duty cops, who kept watch over the store at night packed a Model 59. And that was my first exposure to it. The store I worked at, was in a very large suburban mall, and it was still under construction when I first worked there — no alarm systems had been installed yet, so we hired off-duty police officers to stand watch at night on the exterior, while we had uniformed security officers on the inside of the store.

I was more than a little impressed with the 15+1 capacity of the Model 59 this off-duty cop was packing — he actually had it on the dashboard of his car, while he sat there keeping watch at night. Still, back then — we are talking 1973, there weren’t many JHP or SP 9mm types of ammo that would reliably feed in semiauto handguns — no matter who made them. What was surprising, as least to my young mind was that, even ammo under the S&W label, with heavily exposed lead tips — they were hollow points, wouldn’t reliably feed in the S&W Model 39 or Model 59.

Along about this time, our own Central intelligence Agency (CIA) was arming many of our overt and covert agents, with customized S&W 39 handguns — that made them even smaller, and more compact. I once ran a company called Rescue One, and we were at that time the only privately-listed private intel company registered with Interpol, and we had offices in the USA, Athens, Greece, and Cape Town, South Africa —and we did contract work several times for the CIA…another story in itself.Continue reading“S&W Model 6906, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Alicia’s Fruit Leather Rolls

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Reader Alicia J. kindly sent us her recipe for some tasty fruit leather rolls. She included several variations for different types of fruits. Take special note of the use of lemon juice to prevent browning, for any fruit leather than includes bananas or apples.

Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 pounds (about 5 cups) of chopped fruit. A few of of these should be first peeled. (See below.)
  • 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven or dehydrator to 200 degrees F. Combine the fruit and sugar in a blender. Add the lemon juice to taste. (To prevent browning, I recommend using 2 tablespoons with either apples or bananas. You may use much less, for other fruits.)
  2. Puree until smooth.
  3. Transfer the pureed fruit to a medium saucepan and over medium-high heat bring it to a simmer .
  4. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
  5. Cook it down at mediu -low, stirring occasionally at first and then more often toward the end, until most of the liquid evaporates and the mixture is very thick. This may take 35 to 45 minutes. Be careful not to burn the mixture. It may also splatter.
  6. Line a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or nonstick foil. Use an offset spatula to spread the fruit on the mat or foil into a thin layer. Bake until barely tacky, 3 hours to 3.5 hours.
  7. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the fruit leather cool completely.
  8. Peel the fruit leather off of the mat or foil. If the leather is still moist on the underside, then return it to the oven or dehydrator, moist-side up, until dry, usually about 20 more minutes.
  9. Lay the fruit leather smooth-side down on a sheet of waxed paper.
  10. Use kitchen shears to cut it into roughly 1″-wide strips while still on the waxed paper. Roll up the strips.
Variations for Different Fruits
  • Apple Leather: 3 large peeled and chopped apples. I prefer to use Gala apples. Don’t forget to use 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
  • Apple-Ginger Leather: 3 large apples, peeled and chopped, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons grated ginger. Don’t forget to use 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
  • Banana Leather: 5 medium, peeled. Don’t forget to use 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
  • Grape Leather: 3 1/2 cups — preferably Concord grapes, seeded unless a seedless variety
  • Mango Leather: 3 large, peeled and chopped mangies
  • Spicy Mango Leather: 3 large mangoes, peeled and chopped, plus 1/8 teaspoon each salt and cayenne pepper
  • Nectarine Leather: 6 medium, unpeeled, chopped
  • Peach Leather: 6 medium, unpeeled, chopped
  • Plum Leather: 8 medium, unpeeled, chopped
  • Raspberry Leather: 5 cups
  • Raspberry-Strawberry Leather: 3 cups raspberries and 2 cups strawberries
  • Raspberry-Vanilla Leather: 5 cups raspberries with the seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
  • Strawberry Leather: 4 cups, hulled and chopped
  • Strawberry-Banana Leather: 3 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped, plus 2 medium bananas, peeled. Don’t forget to use 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
STORAGE

The fruit leather strips can be stored in zip-lock bags for up to one week, or in vacuum-sealed jars for several weeks.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at investing in vinyl records. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold Price Gains 1.5% After ECB Unleashes Bazooka Of -0.5% Interest Rate And QE Of €20 Billion A Month

o  o  o

Bubba Horwitz: Gold building a base

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: “We’re In A Demographic & Fiscal Dead-End” – Stockman On The Coming Financial Panic & The 2020 Election. The article includes this quote from David Stockman:

“You can’t be saved by picking high-yielding stocks or conservative blue chips or stocks that provide daily necessities like food—it doesn’t matter. Everything’s overpriced right now because of this huge financial distortion.

When the real correction comes and the central banks are revealed to be impotent and powerless, then everything is going to collapse. You’ll be in harm’s way no matter how clever you’ve been in trying to pick and choose. And stay away from the bubble stocks like Amazon or Beyond Meat or any of those.

The time for speculation is over. We’ve had 30 years of central bank subsidized speculation. We’re going to go into the time and era for capital preservation, and that means the highest priority is to not lose money. It’s to keep your capital safe.

I think the only way to do that is in very short-term, liquid instruments.”

o  o  o

Reader G.G. flagged this: The European Central Bank cut rates to a surprise record low and launched a sweeping round of stimulus.

o  o  o

And H.L. liked this at The Burning Platform: What NIRP, Rising China Tensions, and “AK-47 Nations” Are Signalling Right Now.

o  o  o

WSJ: Lenders Are Using Grades, Magazine Subscriptions to Decide on Loans

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 15, 2019

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On this day in 1944, the U.S. 1st Marine Division landed on the island of Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands in the Pacific, as part of a larger operation to provide support for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was preparing to invade the Philippines. Within one week of the invasion, the Marines lost 4,000 men. By the time it was all over, that number would surpass 9,000. The Japanese lost more than 13,000 men. Flamethrowers and bombs finally subdued the island for the Americans, but it all proved pointless. MacArthur invaded the Philippines without need of Army or Marine protection from either Peleliu or Morotai.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 84  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  3. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  6. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 84 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Pharmacy Around Us – Part 3, by Jen R.

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(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the three part series.)

LOMATIUM

Why you want it:  Lomatium is the go-to antiviral for influenza.  It’s much cheaper than Tamiflu, you don’t need a prescription, and it doesn’t have to be started within 24 hours to be effective.  During the Spanish flu, when it was used on patients thought to be lost causes, even these patients fully recovered.

Lomatium is an herb that most people have never even heard of.  And yet, it’s something you really want to be able to identify and harvest if possible if you live west of the Mississippi, or purchase the tincture online if you live east of the Mississippi.  Because this is what the Washoe Indians used in their battle against the Spanish flu of 1918-1920.  Apocryphally, it was reported that not one Washoe Indian died, while over half a million other Americans perished.

The species that the Native Americans used is Lomatium dissectum, commonly known as fernleaf biscuit root or desert parsley, which grows in the Great Basin. Many other species, including Lomatium ambiguum, L. bicolor, L. cous, L. foeniculaceum, L. grayi, L. macrocarpum, L. nudicaule, L. orientale, L. simplex, and L. triternatum, can be used identically.  Find what grows in your area.

While it is the roots that are most commonly used, the seeds are even more potent.

Harvest the roots at any time, but keep in mind that it is easier to identify the plants in the spring and easier to dig them after a good rain.  The roots must be aromatic, bitter, and oily for the best medicinal outcomes, and the roots from older plants are more powerful than the roots from younger plants.  Dry the roots for a few days and then cut them up.  Store in a glass jar in a dark cabinet.  They should remain potent for several years.

There are two preparation options: infusions and tinctures.  While the tincture is what is most commonly used by herbalists today, the Spanish flu occurred during Prohibition.  Alcohol, especially for Native Americans, was a bit difficult to come by.  The Indians used the infusion method, and judging by the results, it worked just fine.Continue reading“The Pharmacy Around Us – Part 3, by Jen R.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at the issue of open carry.

Publix Supermarket Bans Open Carry by Customers

Publix Supermarket Bans Open Carry by Customers.

Farmers Market Attendees Angered by Open Carry Demonstrators

Reader H.L. sent this: Farmers Market Attendees Angered by Open Carry Demonstrators. JWR’s Comment: As I’ve mentioned several times in my blog and in one of my books:  Much like a muscle that atrophies with disuse, any right that goes unexercised for many years devolves into a privilege, and eventually can even be redefined as a crime.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

3

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 14, 2019

This is the birthday of James Wilson, a lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence. (1742 – 1798)

Today is also the birthday of actor Clayton Moore (1914–1999). His name is almost synonymous with Lone Ranger.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 84  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  3. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  6. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 84 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Pharmacy Around Us – Part 2, by Jen R.

7

(Continued from Part 1.)

BERBERINE

Why you want it:  With actions similar to penicillin and amoxicillin, it is used for treating cholera, acute dysentery, diarrhea, E. coli, infected wounds, giardia, and yeast infections.

While there are not as many uses for extracts from berberine plants as for juniper and Usnea, a berberine tincture is still very nice to have on hand in case of cholera or giardia.  The most common plants high in berberine content are Japanese barberry, Oregon grape, Nandina domestica, Hydrastis canadensis, and Phellodendron amurense (not to be confused with the common philodendron houseplant).  And you’ve probably got some growing near your home or in a local shopping center parking lot.  Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) is extremely common in the West as a landscaping shrub.  In the East, it propagates like blackberries and raspberries, which is to say it is very invasive.  Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) and Nandina domestica, also both very popular landscaping ornamentals.  Medicine from all of these plants is equally effective.  It’s extracted from the roots of the first four species listed; however, from the latter, Phellodendron amurense, the medicine is extracted from the inner bark.

To make the medicine, first target which plants you will be using.  (Don’t do this on private property unless our society has truly collapsed.)  Check for berberine content by scratching off the outer bark of one of the lower branches.  The inner bark has to be yellow.  If there is no yellow, the plant does not have adequate levels of berberine, and you should move on to another plant.  In the fall dig up the roots of any of the above-listed plants or use the inner bark from Phellodendron amurense.  Japanese barberry roots are going to be quite tough, and it would be best to cut them into 0.5 to 1 inch pieces before they dry.  Oregon grape roots aren’t so difficult, so if you’ve got the option, go with Oregon grape.

Tincture: Tincture the dried root in a 1:5 ratio (1 part herb by weight to 5 parts alcohol by volume) in 50 percent alcohol (100-proof vodka is a good choice). The dosage is 10-60 drops, 3 times per day, or more in acute gastrointestinal conditions. Because we have a very well developed pharmaceutical industry in this country, berberine just isn’t used all that much in the US.  Very little information is available on dosages to treat various conditions.Continue reading“The Pharmacy Around Us – Part 2, by Jen R.”